ABC's Extreme Wool Pullover?

The call came a few months ago. Some fast-talking Los Angeles-based producer from ABC's "Extreme Home Makeover" called and requested some ideas on projects that would be good for the show.
For those not in the know, the show's theme is to find someone in need and give their home a massive makeover, and Hurricane Rita left many in need in Southeast Texas.
The guy who called said the show was producing a series of specials to help victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
Being a fan of the show, I jumped at the chance to help. I also saw it as an opportunity to give our readers an inside look into the popular program. I also saw it as a chance for them to publicize the fact that our little forgotten storm here was the costliest in Texas history and one of the worst in U.S. history.
So, I gathered up the reporters and asked them to come up with lists of possible targets for extreme makeover. I e-mailed the lists off to the Los Angeles guy, who had promised to keep us in the loop and give us all kinds of project access once it was under way. The condition was that we keep our mouths shut so as not to ruin this so-called "surprise" they unleash on the beneficiaries.
A few weeks went by, and we began to hear rumors from our readership about the possible projects, with Sabine Pass as ground zero.
Worried that we were about to get scooped, I called the Los Angeles guy again, told him what was going on and asked whether we could write some kind of story, and he said "no" and again re-stated his promises: keeping us in the loop and giving us project access. He also noted that musical performers such as U2, Coldplay and Stevie Wonder were under consideration for some big concert to go along with the project.
I again agreed that we'd remain silent about the project, but no more than minutes after we hung up, some executive whatchamahoozit from New York called, seemingly in a panic that we would spill the beans and scuttle the surprise, thereby throwing a monkey wrench into the project.
I assured her that we didn't want to derail the surprise.
Finally, a few days before the project was slated to start, I got the call regarding some project details: the Sabine Pass firehouse, the Sabine Pass school auditorium and a shopping spree. Plus, a group of Sabine Pass kids were to get treated to a New York City trip.
Cool, I thought.
However, when I asked about the musical act, the "Extreme Home Makeover" representative hemmed and hawed, saying it hadn't been booked yet. In addition, we would not be allowed to do the behind-the-scenes stuff the Los Angeles guy had promised.
Not cool, I thought.
I asked, "Well, then why should I keep this thing a secret? We helped guide you in the right direction, and you made promises."
My ire apparently got relayed to the New York executive, who called to try to explain how the show works. It all contradicted what we'd been told earlier. They did acknowledge that the Goo Goo Dolls, a band that achieved marginal success on the alternative scene in the 1990s, would play a concert - at 7 a.m. on a weekday.
I was less than pleased, but we grudgingly decided to do coverage on their terms. So, as the trucks and volunteers rolled in, and the surprise that was not so much of a surprise revealed, our reporter and photographer stood on the sidelines with the rest of the media.
Despite the snub, it was fun to see some of the behind-the-scenes stuff, like the reenactment of surprise and the Goo Goo Dolls having to play a song several times because the sleepy morning crowd rounded up for the concert didn't meet "Extreme Home Makeover" enthusiasm standards.
This was Hollywood, plain and simple.
Tye Pennington, the show's hunky, hyperactive star, pretended to get on and off a bus for the shopping spree, and he was only on site for a fraction of the project time.
The whole effort had a feeling of chaos and disorganization.
When the projects were unveiled later in the week, the media were not permitted inside, which was kind of silly, because our coverage certainly would not have done any bean-spilling on a national scale.
So when the special aired earlier this month, I anticipated an hour of me rolling my eyes and laughing at the ridiculousness of at all.
However, I found myself realizing that "Extreme Home Makeover" did a pretty good job. The storylines didn't come off as too cloying. The firefighters and high schoolers got some pretty fancy new digs.
And last, but not least, Hurricane Rita got some badly needed national exposure.
Sure, "Extreme Home Makeover" probably made some money on the deal, what with advertisers, sponsorships and whatnot, but overall, Sabine Pass, and Southeast Texans, got something pretty much for free.